Scheduling to Win?

In the state of KY, there seems to be two trains of thought on how to build a winner. On one hand, U of L has taken a post-Howard approach of upgrading its coaching staff (Cooper - Smith - Petrino), its recruits (no-names to diamonds in the rough to serious talent at some positions), and working its way up the conference food chain. Entitlement in a BCS, tradition-rich conference was not a luxury the Cards enjoyed. Tradition has to be built and earned.

Down the road and into the abyss, the UK Wildcats have tried another path. They have been inconsistent in their approach with Coaches. From Bill Curry's integrity, to Mumme's lack thereof, to Guy Morris' greed, to Morris' age. There was little overlap between regimes. The only consistency is the SEC. The conference is something to be proud of, but it does very little to help get you to the top tier of college football. Downgrading the schedule is the flavor of the day. Will games against the worst of Div I help prepare the team for Florida or Georgia? I doubt it.

UK avoids tough out of conference teams (with the exception of the Cards). I agree that its suicide to add a USC or Oklahoma or Miami to the already tough road in the SEC East. But to be great and to build a tradition outside of the conference affiliation, go grab some other lower tier BCS schools and prove to the world that the UK FOOTBALL team can actually win. Schedule Wake Forest, Syracuse, Northwestern, Baylor, Arizona State and see where the program really is.

UL started its climb with wins over teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Mich State and UK. Those games keep the fan base growing and teach the team where the bar really is.